“I bring you tidings of great joy...” – or at least a variety of Christmas news.

    Christmas Day is a Sunday this year. This hasn’t happened since 1994 so it is kind of rare, and presents some interesting possibilities for the Church. In one way it is special to celebrate our Lord’s birth on a Sunday, like the angels and shepherds and magi, bowing in worship before Him. On the other hand Christmas Day is, for most, a morning spent with family opening their presents. We have decided to find a balance by having one worship service at 10:00 a.m. with no Sunday School. We believe this allows those with children time together at home before worship, while also giving a gift to our teachers and volunteers by having fewer responsibilities that day.

  We will still have our traditional Christmas Eve services on Saturday night, at 5:00 and 11:00 p.m. which is always a great way to prepare our hearts for His coming. (See also all the other special activities for December listed in this issue.)

  The holidays can be a very difficult time for those who are grieving, whether this is the first Christmas since a loved one died, or that Christmas is a harsh reminder of their loss. To help with this sorrow, and to know that those who mourn are not alone, we will again have our Remembrance Service on Sunday, December 11 at 3:00 p.m. This is a special way to honor your loved ones, and find some comfort in the support of others who feel a similar grief. If you, or someone you know, would like to participate, please bring an ornament to hang on our Remembrance Tree in honor of your loved one.

  Because of delays in our building and how that crowded into the Fall scheduling, we have felt it appropriate to not have a traditional Christmas program this year. With less time to prepare, and many questions about our facility still not complete, we did not want to add pressure and stress to an already busy season by trying to put on a program under less than ideal circumstances.

  This, however, does not mean there aren’t plenty of programs to enjoy during the holidays. You probably have your favorite plays, concerts or other venues that are a part of your Christmas traditions, so I will only mention one, and only because it is right here in Gladstone. Every December for the past two years the Adventist Church has put on a program called “Follow the Star” right here at the Gladstone Park Adventist camp. This is held Friday through Sunday evenings the first two week-ends of December (2-4 and 9-11) and is a marvelous and creative telling of the Christmas story that you won’t want to miss.

  Finally, I would like to encourage you to go to the movies. No, I’m not getting a commission, but this Winter there will be two very significant (yet vastly different) movies that Christians should see with their families and unchurched friends. The first is The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, adapted from the book by C.S. Lewis. This classic children’s story tells the Gospel in a powerful way and should be read by all, children and adults alike (and if you’ve never read it, do so before going to the movie). What a great opportunity this is to have the resurrection of Jesus presented in a way that non-believers will enjoy and then ask you questions about the real Jesus.

  Secondly, in January, a movie called End of the Spear will be released that tells what happened to the Acua Indians of Ecuador after they killed five missionaries in 1956. (This story was first told in the book, The Gates of Splendor.) We will have the opportunity to promote this new movie January 8 by watching a promotional video called Beyond the Gates of Splendor, with interviews of the wives and children of the missionaries, including Elizabeth Elliott. This movie will also give you a great opportunity to share the power of the Gospel with your friends.

    Well that’s some local news, but the best news we ever received was this, that “In the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord.”

Denis Whittet